Update 10-23-07

Hi,

Unfortunately, parts of Southern California are on fire again.  And I'm sure you know as much about it as we do here.  Though, because of the wind, it's a really hard fire to contain, so what you're seeing on TV isn't as exaggerated as usual.  But, just now, most people are safe.
   
    Some news that's more pleasant, from Emily Kleinman Schreiber:  A Homecoming update -- Claire, Robbie, and Ray Richford came to South last Saturday.  We had a good time.  South won the game against North Shore High School.  And that's all for now.  I have to get ready to work out with Denise Austen.  Yippee!
   
    [Rich -- Er, who's Denise Austen?]
   
    From Larry Kincade:  I would like to thank everyone for the many e-mail and snail mail condolence notes about my wife Grace Dibble Kincade.  She really loved all you guys.  Those who made cancer donations, again, many thanks.
        We had a memorial for Grace in Visalia a couple weeks ago. There was a large turnout, and I did a slide show which featured reunion pictures.  Of course, I would like to stay in the loop.  I personally love the newsletter because Grace had talked about you all.
        Best news here is that our daughter, Chrisy, is pregnant.  She did tell Grace, and she claims that Grace understood.  We all feel she did.  Well, if anyone's visiting our part of Texas, I have plenty of beds.
   
    [Rich -- It's great that Grace knew your family was about to add another grandchild.  Congratulations to all.]
   
    From Ryki Zuckerman, follow-up information about her poem:  The girl was Lainie Justman.  The reference to my boyfriend was to Stewie's older brother, Mike.  Stew was my classmate and a friend -- a fellow member of the notorious Latin class.  I don't exactly know why we were "notorious," but I do remember Booker Gibson rolling his eyes (amused?) in dismay and saying something like, "Oh, no, here comes the Latin class" when we'd arrive at music.

    From Nancy Garfield:  I wanted to be sure to wish Terry Shields a happy birthday this week.  We share the same date.
   
    [Rich -- And I was about to wish Nancy a happy birthday.  Hers is one of the few I remember easily from high school, not only because it's on United Nations Day.  Though happy birthday, Terry, too.  And to Judy Schulman, who someone will usually remind me was born on Halloween, along with someone else who's birthday I'd have to look up in last year's newsletter to remember.]
   
    From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  Just a quick note to advise that a year ago, I miserably and painfully sat in a wheelchair wondering if I would ever stand, not to mention, even walk again.  Today, with God's help, prolonged months in a big black boot, and continued physical therapy, I not only walked but finished the Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure in Miami.  I was there, along with 16,000 escorts and over 700 sister and brother survivors.  Today is a good day, and I wanted to share it with all of you.
        While the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is quickly coming up, before it is over, if you haven't had your yearly mammogram, please make sure to schedule it as soon as possible.  Early detection is the best cure for saving your own life and the lives of everyone you care about.  Pink hugs to all.
   
    [Rich -- Congratulations, Barbara, on your recovery and determination.]
   
    From Ellen Epstein Silver:  I know from my daughter Jessica that the air quality in Los Angeles is terrible because of the fires.  We hope they can contain them soon.
        Part of HRL, where my son-in-law Jeff works, has fire damage.  His work is very close to Pepperdine University, right on Pacific Coast Highway.  He cannot go to that facility, and, instead, he is going to Cal Tech, to his office there.
   
    [Rich -- Actually, the air isn't as bad in my area as it is in others, nearer the fires.  It may be that the wind, which is driving the fires, is also quickly blowing the smoke north.
        And, while I'm at it, a quick science project report:  I was trying to replace all the incandescent light bulbs in our house with florescent ones, to do my little bit against global warming.  But we have almost four dozen light bulbs, and all but eight are on various dimmers.  Dimmable florescent bulbs exist, though they're hard to find because of the present high demand.  They're also expensive, about $13.00 each, online.  But I wanted to test one first, before I invested in forty of various shapes and wattages.  And it's a good thing I did even though I'd read a lot about them online.  These dimmable florescent bulbs only dim halfway, and then they blink out.  Incandescent bulbs dim all the way down.  The technology has a while to go unless you're ready to give up all your dimmer switches.
        The non-dimmable screw-in florescent bulbs are pretty good though.  There's a range of shapes, wattages, and colors, and some bulbs come up to full power instantly, rather than slowly warming up.  That was one of the previous objections, along with the harsh light.  The bulb in my desk lamp is now a 9 watt florescent.  It replaced a 40 watt incandescent bulb, and I can't tell the difference.]
   
    Finally, a joke forwarded by Robert Fiveson, who comments, "I am for an unfettered press, but this is too damn good."
        Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Cokie Roberts, and a tough old U.S. Marine are all captured by terrorists in Iraq.  The leader of the terrorists tells them he'll grant them each one last request before they're beheaded.
        Dan Rather says, "Well, I'm a Texan, so I'd like one last bowl of hot spicy chili."  The leader nods to an underling who quickly returns with the chili.  Rather eats it and says, "Now, I can die content."
        Peter Jennings says, "I am Canadian, so I'd like to hear the song Oh Canada one last time."  The leader nods to a terrorist who studied Western music.  He returns with a ragtag band that plays the Canadian  anthem.  Jennings sighs and declares he can now die peacefully.
        Cokie Roberts says, "I'm a reporter to the end.  I want to take out my tape recorder and describe what's about to happen here.  Maybe someday, someone will hear it and know I was on the job till the end."  The leader directs an aide to hand over a tape recorder, and Roberts dictates her comments.  Then she says, "Now, I can die happy."
        The leader turns and asks the old Marine, "What is your final wish?"
        "Kick me in the butt," grunts the Marine.
        "What?" asks the leader.  "Will you mock us in your last hour?"
        "I'm not kidding," insists the Marine.  "I want you to kick me, hard."
        So the leader has the Marine dragged out in the open, and he personally kicks the old guy, hard.  The Marine goes sprawling, but immediately rolls to his knees, pulls a 9 mm pistol from his cammies, and shoots the leader dead.  In the following confusion, he leaps to his knapsack, pulls out his M4, and sprays the other terrorists with gunfire.  In seconds, they're all gone.  As the Marine begins untying Roberts, Jennings, and Rather, they ask him, "Why didn't you just shoot him in the beginning?  Why did you have him kick you first?"
        "What?" grunts the Marine.  "And have you all report that I was the aggressor?"